Overseas Motor Works

Carlos and his crew are excellent. We own 3 BMWs (older ones… one is a classic at this point) and Carlos always takes care of us and treats us with respect. His prices are fair and reasonable. The work is done well and quickly.
My husband has rebuilt the engine in his own car and knows quite a bit about cars, and he trusts Carlos implicitly. Carlos never tries to upsell you, never makes unnecessary repairs, and gets the job done quickly and well. I hope he never retires.

My Honda broke down near here a few months ago. I brought the car in and the owner said he’d take a look. He inspected it and did a road test. He gave me the bad news that my transmission was shot. He discussed options with me and then didn’t even charge me for his assessment, though he certainly could have. Overall, this place seems like a trustworthy establishment. I’d go back if needed.

After several bad experiences at the nearest BMW dealership, I finally tried overseas, and couldn’t be happier. They are convenient, friendly, quick, and honest. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else in philly.

Carlos is great. I have been taking our two cars here since we moved to the area 6 months ago and have been very pleased. Somewhat older cars (13 and 9 years) but we take good care of them. He has been helpful, informative and honest about what we need and what we don’t need. Not the cheapest but I’m ok paying a little more for peace of mind.

I feel like I have to respond the one guy below who left a negative review for Carlos — if you have such a perfect understanding of everything involved in maintaining a modern car perhaps you should do it yourself? For the rest of us with actual lives, Overseas is great. And, to be clear — I’ve rebuilt motorcycle engines, changed brake pads and plenty of general car maintenance in the past.
I’ve been going to Overseas now for three years, and have never felt like I’ve got less than terrific service from Carlos and his team, at a reasonable price.

Carlos is always honest. You may think your going in for a 600 dollar job & it may only be 150. He explains everything very well. Very professional & yes depending on your car it can cost more than a wrinky dink side shop, but he’s worth the quality. I use to take my 92 Honda accord there & now I take my 2004 325 ci BMW there. Has my car running great. When asked if I needed a tune up he said your car is no where near a tune up requirement yet. He could have said yes & done the job, but he was honest.

Everyone who has reviewed this shop knows close to 0% about cars…
Below are PROS and CONS, but here’s a little tip that I learned after reading through the reviews: when the people who review a mechanic say «he is very polite and patient with me», then you can disregard that review, because the person spent 0 hours learning about basics of how a car works and how to check for common problems. Thankfully, I did my homework…
CONS:
The repairs are expensive (the job for replacing coolant and windshield pump should have cost $ 300 with labor, he charged $ 500, which I accepted because I needed the car back the next day), and the mechanic tries to lure you (ie. he wanted to smoke the engine for an oil leak… wtf? the idea is that, he will take the engine apart, and then quote you $ 1−3K to fix it, or $ 500 – 600 to put the engine back together.). Additionally, he got an oil smear [2 in. radius] on my carpet and missed the fact that ATP fluid wasn’t secure and my radiator had the plastic fan broken (as in he didn’t check shit). I intentionally didn’t tell him about that to see if he actually inspected the car.
I listened to Unilocal reviews, and I was wrong to do so. Also, he loosened the cap and some screws to create a slight oil leak (There was no oil under the car when I inspected it myself before buying it). I don’t like wishing negative things to people, but he has tried ripping me off (not counting the overpricing), and I do not appreciate that. (A friend of family inspected the car after me and confirmed my suspicions)
PROS:
He is very polite. Really, he is a very polite man, can’t fault him on his sales skills. (Fraud, is stealing with a smile).
PS. I’ve glanced over a few more review just to see if anyone has said anything other than «polite», and saw one talking about break pads and rotors… if you don’t know how to visually tell this yourself, you have no business leaving a review on a mechanic… (I am very disappointed on this one, because I went to the mechanic after a slew of positive reviews, which after re-​reading them I realized that they were from people who know nothing about the cars)

We have taken both our current and previous BMW to Overseas for both maintenance and unforeseen repairs post our vehicles coming off of the dealerships maintenance and warranty plans. Carlos is an expert with these cars and has always been honest about what our SUVs needs. I have never felt taken as I have with some other mechanics and trust his judgment. Compared to the dealerships his pricing is a deal but can be a bit higher than other area shops; however, with these cars its worth paying for someone that knows them well. We do not even consider calling anyone else for repairs; I can’t say enough good things about this business.

I have a BMW 330i 2006, in the past I have always brought the car to the dealer, but after a really bad experience I decided to look for other options.
I read the reviews in here and decided to give it a try, I have a brake pad warning light, (meaning change brake pads) I am sure that if was bringing that to the dealer they will force me to change pads and rotors.
Carlos, look at the car and in a very short time gave me the good news that was only a sensor and that had plenty of brakes to go.
It is inspiring to find not only knowledge but also honest and great service. He has me now as a client for sure and my Girl friend car as well. I also want to point that the neighborhood where is located is not bad at all, maybe in the past.
Anyway, try Carlos you will not be disappointed, I was so impressed I also brought him a bottle of Wine :) so Carlos Salud!!!

I really enjoy taking my car to Overseas. Carlos and the other guys in the shop are easy to work with, even when dealing with something stressful, like expensive repairs or having to retire an old friend. Also, in several cases over these years, they have definitely undercharged – knowingly – for routine things. Always so nice!

Went to get my car inspected last week. I’m glad I checked out the reviews beforehand. Great people, great service, and just a pleasant experience overall. I’m definitely going here again for my next annual auto inspection.

I cannot speak more highly of Carlos and Overseas Motor Works. They were able to find a replacement part and fix my old Camry when multiple other shops were unable to do the job! He kept me informed throughout the whole process, scoured the country to find a replacement, and gave me a great price.

I highly recommend this auto shop! Had a flat tire on my Saab 900, dropped the car off at 11:30am and had it back by 1:30pm. The service was professional, quick and fairly priced. I mainly interacted with Carlos, who may be the owner of the shop. He and the other mechanics were knowledgable, clear in their explanation and process, and really nice– something you don’t find everywhere. I got a call as soon as the car was ready to pick up. Before bringing it in, I called a few different times and spoke with Carlos about my options and prices. He was patient with me and happy to help before I’d even committed to using his shop. They’ve been around for 35 years and don’t have a website– here, super old school is definitely a good thing!

Carlos seems like a great guy. So does Wes, the mechanic who performed most of the work on my 2004 BMW 330xi. They found a lot of problems with my car that I wasn’t even expecting. They took the time to explain every problem in detail and listed out the pricing, even offered ways to make it cheaper without sacrificing quality. Overall my car drives better and I’m satisfied knowing it was taken care of by competent people.

I started going to Carlos when I moved into Center City and could no longer justify the trip to my usual mechanic in Glenside.
Carlos was suggested by a colleague of mine when I needed some repairs, and I couldn’t be happier with the service from Overseas Motor Works. They are fast, efficient and have great customer service. Carlos will tell you what the problem is and how to fix it immediately, as well as give you an update on other issues that you should be planning for in the next year. This has particularly been helpful with me 10 year old BMW that has had problem after problem in its aging life.
Easily accessible (right off the Broad Street Line) and has always been really fast. I would definitely recommend his shop to anyone that needs just a little work done, or has major issues. Also, if you visit, don’t be intimidated when you walk through the front door and are standing in the middle of the garage. Just yell out hello and someone will come to help you!

I went here at the last minute with some battery issues. I just moved to the area and had no idea where to go and decided to try this place out because it’s close to my work. Carlos was great and took in my car even though it was the end of the day. It was a little pricey as a few Unilocalers mentioned. He was incredibly friendly and explained all the prices to me, and made sure every problem was accurately solved before I picked up my car and dropped it off.
BUT I didn’t feel like the ‘wool’ was being pulled over my eyes like I’m always afraid of and that is what I liked best and why I will probably go here again. They didn’t suggest I get anything fixed other than my problem to add on costs to my bill– «o by the way we checked your air filter and ect they really should be replaced.» Plus I don’t mind paying a little more to support a local business vs. a Pep Boys or chain business.

I’ve been going here for years since I live close by. I used to go to another place, but Carlos and the crew are great. They are a bit pricier (maybe 10−20% more than other places in the area), but they are honest, get the job done, and keep their word. That’s worth it in my book. A month ago I thought I might need spark plugs, other shops said «come in»… and of course I’d drive there and they’d try to pitch me. But Carlos asked questions and told me the spark plugs are probably fine, but I could take the car in, or he’d check it all out at the next annual inspection.
Just a fair business overall, do what they say and don’t give you BS.

Important Note: Overseas Motor Works is listed on Unilocal as a body shop but I just called and was told they do not actually do auto body work.
Five stars because the employee I talked to was really nice about it. A+ customer service.

Reliable, reasonable, and personable. Carlos will take his time and explain what needs fixed and what can wait.

I’ve been here a few times and always have a good experience. I hadn’t been in for anything major (kinda) until a few days ago. I went to Goodyear a few weeks ago for an oil change and they of course said I had things to fix. They wanted me to spend 1500 dollars for stuff. I definitely wanted a second opinion. I took it to Carlos and my repairs were less than 200 dollars. I always appreciate Carlos’s honesty and fairness. I’ll be very sad if I move and have to search for a mechanic again. Maybe he can move where ever I go. :)